Mosquito season is here, in case your ankles haven't noticed. How humans are fighting back

Key Points:

• Mosquito season in Southern California is intensifying, with increased public health concerns due to the spread of West Nile virus and the rise of invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that can transmit diseases like dengue, Zika, and yellow fever.
• West Nile virus, transmitted by the native southern house mosquito, is showing higher infection rates in mosquitos this summer, though human cases remain low with two reported so far in the region.
• Aedes aegypti, an invasive species established in Southern California for over a decade, caused a dengue outbreak in 2024 and poses ongoing risks due to its ability to transmit multiple diseases.
• Vector control agencies are employing various strategies, including the Sterilized Insect Technique (SIT), which releases sterilized male Aedes mosquitoes to reduce reproduction and population, with pilot programs underway in the San Gabriel Valley, L.A. County, and Orange County.
• While early results from SIT programs show promise in reducing mosquito populations, these efforts are still experimental and their scalability remains uncertain.